PFN condemns kidnapping of schoolchildren and teacher’s beheading in Oyo.

By Olayinka Ajayi

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has issued a strong condemnation of the abduction of school children and the brutal beheading of Mr. Michael Oyedokun, a teacher at Community High School in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State.

In a statement, PFN’s National President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, expressed deep disappointment with the Federal Government over the continuing insurgency across Nigeria, despite repeated promises of safety and security, especially for children.

Oke said, “Each new incident is an indictment on the federal government and exposes the failure of those assurances. Most disgraceful is the continued abduction of pupils across the country. No child should be forced to live in fear. Our foremost concern, therefore, remains the safety of the pupils, teachers, and staff of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oyo State.”

“Our hearts are bleeding. We watched with horror the video released by the perpetrators, showing our brother—a devoted educator—bound, humiliated, and beheaded. This is not merely a heinous crime; it is a sacrilege against the sanctity of life, an assault on the teaching vocation, and a direct attack on the future of our nation. We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Oyedokun’s family, to the bereaved Community High School, and to the people of Oriire Local Government Area. May the God of all comfort strengthen them in this hour of unspeakable loss,” Oke added.

He described the atrocity as a national disgrace, stating that when armed gangs storm rural schools, kill those who resist, and carry away pupils and educators with impunity, the social contract between the State and the citizen is shattered. “We are past the time for promises; we are tired of promises. Actions that will sweep away insurgency are what we want,” he said.

Oke said, “The blood of Mr. Oyedokun cries out for justice, not platitudes. For years, PFN warned that insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping, if left unchecked, would metastasize across Nigeria. Today, those warnings have come to pass: the same brutality once confined to the North has crossed the Niger.”

He called on both federal and state governments to abandon compartmentalised security responses, arguing that a threat to a child in Ahoro-Esinele is a threat to a child in Abeokuta, Enugu, Katsina, and every community in Nigeria. “If those in authority cannot guarantee the most basic duty—to protect every citizen—then by what authority do they govern?” he asked.

The Bishop demanded immediate rescue operations and the deployment of all available resources—intelligence, personnel, and technology—to locate and rescue the abducted pupils, teachers, and staff. “Half‑measures are no longer acceptable,” he said.

He urged the government to implement a comprehensive security framework, including perimeter fencing protocols and community intelligence networks, which the State House of Assembly had earlier advocated. “We urge the government to provide psychosocial support, counselling, and educational continuity for affected pupils, teachers, parents, and the wider community,” he added.

Oke called for a review of the nation’s security architecture and an emergency National Security Council session with governors, security chiefs, and civil society to overhaul Nigeria’s approach to protecting schools and rural communities.

He appealed to Nigerians to engage in prayer, fasting, and prophetic intercession, urging that “Silence is the kidnapper’s greatest weapon. Speak out. Avail security operatives tangible information. Support initiatives that protect children and always hold leaders accountable.”

Oke concluded, “We stand in solidarity with the families of the abducted, with the grieving community of Ahoro-Esinele, and with all Nigerians who yearn for a nation where students can learn without fear and where the populace can live without fear. We mourn with those who mourn. We rage against injustice. And we commit to working, praying, and advocating until every child is safe, every teacher is protected, and every community is at peace. The blood of Michael Oyedokun is a stain on our national conscience. Let his death not be in vain. Let it be the catalyst for decisive action that Nigeria has delayed too long in taking.”

The post PFN condemns abduction of school children, beheading of teacher in Oyo appeared first on Vanguard News.